According to Warrant Officer Daniel Mavimbela, head of communications for the Diepsloot police, the handgun was discovered after suspects were ordered to lie down and a thorough body search was conducted.
Mavimbela explained that the police had traced the suspects to Diepsloot Ext. 11 after they committed a house robbery in Ext 2. earlier in February. During the house robbery, three suspects forced entry into a shack and assaulted a 32-year-old woman with a handgun. They demanded money from the woman, which they believed her husband had left her. The victim handed over whatever cash she had in the house and the suspects also left the shack with other household items. However, after leaving the house, the suspects immediately forced entry back into the victim’s shack by firing shots to deter the victim from locking the door. The suspects ran back into the shack and grabbed a DVD player then left.
The Diepsloot police tracing team found the suspects, two males aged 22 and 23, in Diepsloot Ext. 11. When the suspects saw the police, they attempted to flea but were seized and searched. “The members of the tracing team must be applauded for the vigilance they displayed when arresting the two suspects,” Mavimbela said. “Should they have not spotted the handgun, we would probably be telling a different story.”
Both suspects will be charged with attempted murder, house robbery and possession of both stolen property and an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The third suspect is still at large.
They are expected to appear in the Randburg Magistrates’ Court soon.
